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Project Description:
In 1991, Allegheny County Commissioners commissioned a ten-year plan for the future of the County. The outcome of this plan was a call for integration of services and the establishment of comprehensive family centers in low-income communities. This shift in theory and practice toward prevention in family services established a framework for a system of family support programs and other public-private collaborative ventures. In addition, the mayor of Pittsburgh, Tom Murphy, has placed a high priority on developing a "human investment strategy" that leverages public and private resources to meet the needs of Pittsburgh's families and children. In 1995, the United Way of Allegheny County, with support from the Howard Heinz Endowment, launched a five-year, $40 million public-private initiative that promotes and develops high-quality, early childhood programs for a majority of eligible children from low-income areas. The mayor, the commissioners, and other supporters of the initiative hope that, if they are successful in building a high-quality early childhood and family support system, the system can eventually be sustained by the public funds that will be saved through reduction in the costs of juvenile crime and detention. Pittsburgh has also received new federal funds to improve its employment, housing, and economic development initiatives and for an innovative Early Head Start program that will work with families, infants, and toddlers in several communities.
To sustain momentum in pursuing the Starting Points goals, the joint Pittsburgh and Allegheny County project has developed a strategic planning initiative to further the implementation of these public-private partnerships by building public support for prevention approaches, improving programs, and expanding services by 50 percent to families with health, child care, and family support needs.
The strategic planning effort will use data made available by community organizers, program experts, policymakers, and business and philanthropic leaders. The project will produce analytic reports on the financial conditions of the city and county under new federal social policies, will monitor the effectiveness of existing early childhood programs such as Healthy Start and Family Centers, and will analyze the costs and benefits of scaling up good programs. The mayor and county commissioners, along with community foundations and the United Way, will convene regular public forums to review these analyses and data. A public education campaign aimed at ensuring radio, television, and print media coverage of the meetings and analytic reports will also be developed.
The Office of Child Development at the University of Pittsburgh administers the project. The Howard Heinz Endowment has awarded matching funds.
Major Program Components:
Contact:
Robert Nelkin
Director, Starting Points
Office of Child Development
University Center for Social and Urban Research
University of Pittsburgh
2017 Cathedral of Learning
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Tel: 412/624-7986, Fax: 412/624-1187
E-mail: rnstpnt+@pitt.edu
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